Never regret thy fall
by aheartmadefullmetal16
Summary: In response to a prompt on tumblr from somethingcleverihope. There are many things Edward Elric regrets, but having children is not one of them. Oneshot, Edwin, post Promised Day.


_**A/N:** This was in response to the prompt below from somethingcleverihope on tumblr._

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 _EdWin one shot. 3 o'clock child crying, who gets up, how do they nurture them back to sleep, does it work? Or does the other one have to come in anyways and settle their child? -somethingcleverihope_

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The sound of anxious sobbing from down the hall woke Winry up. Ed was pressed against her, and their limbs were a tangle of skin and wonderfully cool automail; that was not a sensation Winry easily extricated herself from. She was nestled against his collarbone, and she felt gloriously warm, safe, and protected. Even after all these years, the feeling of waking up next to Ed was more satisfying than anything, but she knew she had to check on little Nina.

"Ed," she murmured, reluctantly beginning to withdraw from his embrace. When he didn't stir, she pushed lightly against his chest, yawning hugely. _He sleeps like a rock,_ she thought impatiently. Her husband was completely oblivious to the world once he was asleep- when he wasn't having nightmares, that is. Despite her annoyance Winry was grateful that he was sleeping peacefully tonight; before Nina was born his nightmares would plague him at least once or twice a week without fail, but they seemed to be stopping now, only occurring every once in a great while. Leaving Ed to snore like a hibernating bear, she carefully peeled back the sheets and crept out of bed.

The wood paneling of the floor was cold against her bare feet, and she shivered. As she passed the hall clock she groaned internally; it was three in the morning. _One of these nights I'll sleep all the way through,_ she assured herself, though she knew very well it was probably in vain. Their little house had three bedrooms- one for her and Ed; one for their son, Urey; and one for their daughter, Nina. Winry reached Nina's bedroom, a giant yawn expelling itself from her throat as she ran a hand through her tangled hair. As she pushed open the door, a panicked cry rang out, and instantly her heart softened. Nina was quivering under her blankets, clutching her stuffed bear to her chest as she cried.

"Mama?" she asked, her voice shaking and scared. Winry sighed, approaching her bedside.

"What is it, Nina?" Her voice was soft and comforting. Nina was still trembling, and it didn't seem like she would be going back to sleep anytime soon. Winry knelt next to her daughter's bed, taking her hand.

"Mama, I had a nightmare." As the words left Nina's mouth a fresh wave of tears came rolling down her face, and she wailed, throwing herself into her mother's arms. Immediately Winry clasped her close to her chest, catching her as she fell.

"Shh, shh," Winry soothed. She was all too used to this. Nina was not an easy sleeper- with an imagination as overactive as hers, it was impossible to quiet down the fantasies when she slept at night. Winry stroked Nina's dark blonde hair gently, rocking her daughter back and forth as she cried. _I hope her dreams aren't as bad as Ed's,_ she worried, but quickly admonished herself. _There's no way Nina has seen anything as bad as that._ Ed and Winry had taken great care to not overexpose their children to anything about their pasts; they didn't want them to know the horrors of yesterday until they were older and could handle it.

After a while she noticed that Nina was still not quieting. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Was your dream that scary?" Immediately she regretted what she had said; Nina cried out once more and sobbed harder. _Oh, my poor girl,_ Winry cried internally, her eyes beginning to burn.

"I don't wanna think about it." Nina's voice was anxious and exhausted. "It was so scary!"

"It's alright, sweetie, it was only a dream," Winry murmured softly, trying her best to calm her child. She could do nothing but rock her back and forth and wait for the tears to stop.

The minutes dragged on, and every time Nina would seem to quiet down, an unknown terror would grip her once more and a fresh wave of sobs would come. Winry loved her daughter dearly, but she really, _really_ wanted to go back to sleep, where she could curl against her husband and dream peacefully. "Nina, sweetheart, you need to try and go back to sleep, okay?"

"Nooooo!" she wailed, clutching her mother tightly, and Winry sighed.

"What's up, kiddo?" Ed's bleary voice came from the doorway, and Winry looked up, surprised. _I should have closed the door! I wanted him to sleep,_ Winry cried. Ed was leaning against the doorframe, yawning widely, his long hair loose around his shoulders. Winry's heart warmed at the sight of him; sometimes she still couldn't believe he was hers.

"Nina had a nightmare," Winry replied quietly, rubbing her daughter's back in little circles. She clambered to her feet, and noticed how heavy Nina was getting. Winry was used to lifting heavy metal and spending hours upon hours crafting and drilling and adjusting, so the weight was no issue, but her stomach seemed to twist at the thought of her little baby getting older as the days went on.

"Aww," Ed said, walking to her to take Nina into his arms. "I'm sorry, little one. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Daddy, it was so scary!" Nina cried as she threw her arms around her father's neck. "There was this really big, mean dog chasing me! It kept getting closer and closer and I couldn't yell for help!"

Winry's eyes flashed to meet Ed's in an instant; his face paled and his eyes widened with shock. It was as if she could feel his heart skip a beat. Ed quickly shut down his expression as to not worry Nina.

"Hey, Nina, it's okay," he soothed, patting her back. "It was just a dream, there's no dog here. It can't get you. I promise."

Winry's eyes burned as she remembered the terrible story Ed had told her when he and Al had returned after the Promised Day. Ed had gradually told her everything about their journey, with Al occasionally filling in the things he forgot or skirted over.

"Kiddo, do you wanna hear a story?" Ed asked Nina, peeling her from his shoulder to look her in the eyes.

At her father's words, Nina seemed to calm down a little. Chin quivering, she nodded and wiped her eyes.

Winry smiled. Ed's stories got Nina to sleep every time without fail. "Are you okay to take care of her?" she asked, rubbing his shoulder. He smiled assuredly and nodded, the fear of before gone. "I'm going back to bed." A huge yawn stretched its way out of her mouth as she left the room.

As she walked down the hallway, Ed began to speak, and as Winry recognized the meaning behind the words, she smiled.

"Once there was a boy whose hair glowed as bright as the sun. His name was Icarus…"

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 _ **A/N:** Leave a review! :)_


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